Lizards

Reptiles that usually have four legs, scaly skin and a long tail, such as iguanas, skinks and Komodo dragons.

17 entries

Black Tree MonitorVaranus beccariiA sleek, shiny black monitor lizard from Indonesia's Aru Islands that climbs with sharp claws and a grasping tail.Blue Spiny LizardSceloporus cyanogenysA rough-scaled lizard of Texas and Mexico whose males have bright blue sides, throats and bellies.Caiman LizardDracaena guianensisA green, red-headed South American lizard with crocodile-like scales that swims well and crushes snails with its strong jaws.Common Blue-Tongued SkinkTiliqua scincoidesA chunky Australian lizard that sticks out a bright blue tongue to scare predators.Common ChuckwallaSauromalus aterA chunky desert lizard of the American Southwest that wedges itself into rock cracks by puffing up its body.Gila MonsterHeloderma suspectumThe largest lizard native to the United States, a black-and-pink venomous desert lizard whose venom led to diabetes medicines.Green AnoleAnolis carolinensisA small lizard of the southeastern U.S. that can change color from bright green to brown.Green Spiny LizardSceloporus malachiticusA bright green, spiny-scaled lizard of southern Mexico and Central America that gives birth to live young.

Guatemalan Beaded LizardHeloderma charlesbogertiAn endangered venomous lizard that lives only in one dry valley in eastern Guatemala and helped lead to a diabetes medicine.Henkel's Leaf-Tailed GeckoUroplatus henkeliA Madagascar gecko whose flat, leaf-shaped tail and bark-colored skin make it nearly invisible on tree trunks.Komodo DragonVaranus komodoensisThe largest living lizard, a venomous predator found only on a few Indonesian islands that can smell food miles away.Motagua Spiny-Tailed IguanaCtenosaura palearisAn endangered iguana found only in Guatemala's dry Motagua Valley, which blocks its hiding hole with its spiny tail.Ornate UromastyxUromastyx ornataA colorful, plant-eating Middle Eastern lizard with a spiky tail that it uses to block its burrow.Rhinoceros IguanaCyclura cornutaAn endangered plant-eating lizard found only on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, named for the horn-like scales on its snout.Solomon Islands SkinkCorucia zebrataThe world's largest skink, a tree-dwelling, mostly vegetarian lizard of the Solomon Islands with a tail that can grab branches.Sudan Plated LizardGerrhosaurus major (also called Broadleysaurus major)A sturdy African lizard covered in rows of square, plate-like scales, with a tail twice as long as its body.White-Throated MonitorVaranus albigularisA large, fast African monitor lizard with a pale throat and a forked tongue like a snake's.